Sliding jaw wrench having a pivoted handle-lever grip which engages worm means to preent rotation thereof



p 1957 s. N. NORDGREN 3,312,129

SLIDING JAW WRENCH HAVING A PIVOTED HANDLELEVER GRIP WHICH ENGAGES WORMMEANS TO PREVENT ROTATION THEREOF Filed June 29, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1Fig.3

Apnl 4, 1967 s. N. NORDGREN 3,312,129

SLIDING JAW WRENCH HAVING A PIVOTED HANDLE-LEVER GRIP WHICH ENGAGES WORMMEANS TO PREVENT ROTATION THEREOF Filed June 29, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet ZFig. 4

Fig. 5

United States Patent Ofilice 3,312,129 SLIDING JAW WRENCH HAVING APIVOTED HANDLE-LEVER GRIP WHICH ENGAGES WORM MEANS TO PREVENT RGTATIONTHEREGF Simon Nil Nordgren, 14 Centralvagen, Rimbo, Sweden Filed June29, 1965, Ser. No. 467,941 Claims priority, application Sweden, July 3,1964,

,109/ 64 11 Claims. (Cl. 81--126) The present invention concernsadjustable end and ratchet wrenches. The adjusting worm in such wrenchesis, during usage of the wrench, subjected to repeated alternating loadsand shocks. This makes it necessary to prevent incidental twisting ofthe worm by particular measures, so that the chosen gap of the wrenchdoes not accidentally change whereby backlash occurs. Such backlash mayeasily cause deformation of nuts and bolt heads and necessitatesrepeated adjustment of the gap in using the wrench. Therefore it is ofgreat importance that backlash is eifectively prevented. Adjust-able endwrenches of conventional design have no axially movable adjusting worm,and to prevent backlash a helical spring, which extends around the wormshaft, is mounted between one end of the worm and the adjacent surfaceat the opening for the worm in the wrench head. This spring exercises abraking force on the worm, through which accidental twisting of it isprevented, In addition to that, the spring serves to eliminate the playbetween the worm and the opening in the wrench head, which play has toexist from a manufacturing point of view.

This known device is not usable for wrenches of the kind referred to inthe invention, primarily because the axial motion of the adjusting wormin such wrenches is so large, that the tension in the relatively shortspring, that can be housed in this wrench, would vary too much betweenthe two outer positions. This, in turn, would mean that the brakingforce on the worm would vary between a very low value when the jaws areseparated, or in so called slipping position, and a high value, when thejaws are in operating position. Even if in the wrench according to theinvention, one has, in known manner, a non-turnably arranged washerbetween the worm and the device arresting said worm axially, one cannottherefore effectively prevent an incidental. twisting of the worm bysuch an arrangement.

According to the invention the mentioned disadvantage is preventedessentially by a wrench construction whereby the effect is gained thatthe arresting device upon an axial displacement of the worm, only duringthe very latest portion of the worms motion towards the workingposition, needs to work against the spring force, which to a high degreefacilitates a speedy and secure grip of the jaws around the work piece.This also makes possible, in wrenches provided with a spring between thewrench head and the handle, a weaker dimension of said spring which isintended to move the jaws to their mutual working position via thearresting or holding device and the adjusting worm.

The invention is described more fully in the following description withreference to the drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side view showing schematically a wrench according to theinvention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view, partly in section, showing theadjusting worm and the adjacent parts of the wrench;

FIGURE 3 is a section taken on line III-III in FIG- URE 2; and

FIGURES 4 and 5 are views, similar to FIGURE 2, of alternate forms ofthe invention.

The adjustable end wrench .in FIGURE 1 is furnished with a wrench head1, which carries the fixed jaw 2,

3,312,129 Fatented Apr. 4, 1967 and with a handle 3, which by means of apivot pin 4, whose axis is perpendicular to the wrenchs main plane orpivoting plane, is movably connected to the wrench head 1. The movablejaw 55 of the wrench is in customary manner furnished with a rack 6, andis displaceable through it and an adjusting worm 7 acting jointly withthe rack 6. The worm is, in turn, displaceably arranged along the wormaxis in an opening 8 in the wrench head and, in a customary manner, iscarried by a tightened worm shaft 9. As appears in FIGURE 2, the worm 7is arranged on a bushing 10, which on one end is furnished with a spacermember in the form of a washer 11 and on the other end with a flange orcollar 12. In a boring 13 in the worm 7 a spring device 14 is compressedbetween the collar 12 and the bottom of the boring in such a way thatthe worm is pressed by the spring to engage with the washer 11. Thewasher 11 is furnished with projections 15, which act jointly with thewrench head 1 to prevent the washer 11 from rotating about the center ofthe worm shaft 9. The washer 11 is held to the bushing 10 by anoutwardly bent portion on the end thereof. The end of the handle 3 thatis connected to the wrench head 1 is forked, whereby a groove is formedbetween two legs in which groove the tongue 16, FIGURE 3, projectingfrom the head 1, moves, thereby enabling adequate guidance between thewrench head and the handle. The legs of the handles forked part form, inaddition, an arresting or holding device 17, consisting of two arm-likeprojections which act jointly with the washer 11 and bring about theaxial displacement of the unit formed by the Worm 7, bushing 11 washer11 and the spring device 14 from slipping position to working position,when the handle is pivoted about the pivot pin 4, in the directionindicated by the arrow A in FIGURE 1. In. the working position thearresting or holding device 17 thus holds the spacer 11, and thus theworm 7, against axial displacement. In an opening in the tongue 16projecting from the wrench head 1, a spring 18 is so compressed betweenthe tongue 16 and the legs of the handle, that it tends to move thearresting device 17 toward working position; i.e. the position which isshown in FIGURES 1 and 2. The handle 3 and the wrench head 1 aresuitably furnished with particular abutting surfaces, which, when theparts are in working position, bear on one another, thereby fixing theparts in their relative positions. Such abutting surfaces may bearranged, for example, along the dividing lines 19 or 20 between thehandle and the wrench head. On the handle 3 is fastened a locking device21, by which the handle 3 can be rigidly attached to the tongue 16 inthe working position, whereby the wrench can be used as an adjustableend wrench of conventional design. Moreover, this locking device shouldsuitably be employed during the adjustment of the Wanted wrench-gap,when the wrench is used in the manner for which it is, at first hand,intended.

The washer 11 can be rigidly connected to the bush ing 10, which therebycannot revolve about the worm shaft. The washer 11, however, may beadjustably arranged on the bushing 10, which means that the armlikeprojection of the arresting device 17 ought to be arranged for contactwith the washer radially outside of the end surface of the bushing 10.If, as is shown in FIGURE 2, the upper end of the bushing 10 is extendedabove the corresponding end of the worm 7, it implies that, by pivotingof the handle 3 in direction of the arrow A, the worm 7 and the bushing10 move as one unit until the upper end of the bushing hits the upperedge of the opening 8. With continued pivoting of the handle only theworm is displaced thereby compressing the spring device 14. This cancontinue until the spring device is completely compressed or until theabutting surfaces between the handle 3 and the wrench head 1, for

example along the dividing lines 19 and/or 20, touch one another.Preferably, the latter alternative should occur since, by this, as allplays are eliminated simultaneously, a working position strictly definedonly by the abutting surfaces is obtained.

The washer 11 and the bushing 10 can alternatively be interconnected bythreads, as shown in FIGURE 4. By doing so it is possible to regulate,according to ones wishes, the tension in the spring device 14-, so thatin every particular case the most suitable spring force and brakingforce is obtained. In cases where such regulation is unnecessary, thewasher 11 and the bushing 10 may be made in one piece or joined bysoldering, welding (as shown in FIGURE 5) or the like.

Other modifications of the device which fall within the scope of theinvention can be imagined. For example, one can place another spacer,which eventually may be elastic, between the upper end of the bushingand the edge of the opening 8; e.g. it could consist of one or more discsprings in the same manner, as shown in FIG- URE 2, for the springdevice 14. Naturally, it is not necessary that the bushing extendsoutside the upper end of the worm, it may on the contrary lie inside ofit in that case.

A further alternative design may consist in that the unit formed by theworm 7, bushing 10 and washer 11 is arranged to be acted upon by aseparate spring; e.g. a coil spring 22, FIGURE 2, surrounding the wormshaft, that tends to bring this unit to its working position in theopening 8.

The coil spring abuts the lower end of bushing 10, and should suitablybe weaker than spring 14.

What is claimed is:

1. A wrench comprising a wrench head having a fixed jaw and a movablejaw mounted on said fixed jaw, said movable jaw being slidably mountedfor movement relative to said fixed jaw between a working positionwherein said jaws are arranged to turn a work piece therebetween and aslipping position wherein said jaws move about the work piece withoutturning the same, a handle pivotally mounted on said fixed jaw forpivotal movement relative to said head, means for adjusting the positionof said movable jaw relative to said fixed jaw, said adjusting meansincluding a rack means on said movable jaw, a worm means engaging saidrack means, and means mounting said Worm means for rotational and axialmovement relative to the axis thereof, said mounting means for said wormmeans including a worm shaft, and a bushing mounted on the worm shaftfor axial movement thereon,

said Worm means being mounted on said bushing for 50 axial movementthereon, a spacer member carried on said bushing adjacent one end of theworm means and fixed against rotation about the Worm axis, spring meanscarried on said bushing for urging said worm means and said spacermember into contact at said adjacent end of said worm means, andarresting means carried by said handle and arranged to move into contactwith said spacer member to actuate the same into holding contact withsaid end of said worm means when the handle is moved to place the jawsin the working position.

2. A wrench according to claim 1 comprising a bore in the end of saidworm means opposite said spacer member, and wherein said spring means ispositioned within said bore to urge the worm means towards said spacermember.

3. A wrench according to claim 1 wherein said bushing and said spacermember are rigidly interconnected.

4. A wrench according to claim 1 wherein said bushing and said spacermember are threadedly interconnected.

5. A wrench according to claim 1 wherein said spacer member is mountedfor axial movement on saidbushing.

6. A wrench according to claim 5 comprising means for checking the axialmovement of the bushing before the worm means is moved to the workingposition by action of the arresting means.

7. A wrench according to claim 6 comprising a second spring means forbiasing the bushing relative to said worm shaft toward the workingposition.

8. A wrench according to claim 1 wherein said bushing is non-rotatablyarranged on said worm shaft.

9. A wrench according to claim 1 comprising a spring positioned incompression between said handle and said wrench head to 'bias the handleto move the arresting device and the worm means to the working position.

10. A wrench according to claim 1 wherein said spacer member has aprojection thereon and said wrench head is provided with a portioncooperable with said projection to prevent rotation of said spacermember.

1.1. A wrench according to claim 1 wherein said bushing has a portionadjacent the other end of said worm means, said spring means beingmounted in compression between said worm means and said portion of saidbushing.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,171,939 2/1916Ginsburg 81-126 1,391,251 9/1921 Ginsburg 8ll65 1,469,533 10/1923Rahling 8l165 2,562,060 7/1951 Pehrsson 8ll26 2,733,626 2/1956 Mesojedec81-165 2,970,502 2/1961 Nordgren 81l26 WILLIAM FELDMAN, PrimaryExaminer.

MILTON S. MEHR, Examiner.

1. A WRENCH COMPRISING A WRENCH HEAD HAVING A FIXED JAW AND A MOVABLEJAW MOUNTED ON SAID FIXED JAW, SAID MOVABLE JAW BEING SLIDABLY MOUNTEDFOR MOVEMENT RELATIVE TO SAID FIXED JAW BETWEEN A WORKING POSITIONWHEREIN SAID JAWS ARE ARRANGED TO TURN A WORK PIECE THEREBETWEEN AND ASLIPPING POSITION WHEREIN SAID JAWS MOVE ABOUT THE WORK PIECE WITHOUTTURNING THE SAME, A HANDLE PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON SAID FIXED JAW FORPIVOTAL MOVEMENT RELATIVE TO SAID HEAD, MEANS FOR ADJUSTING THE POSITIONOF SAID MOVABLE JAW RELATIVE TO SAID FIXED JAW, SAID ADJUSTING MEANSINCLUDING A RACK MEANS ON SAID MOVABLE JAW, A WORM MEANS ENGAGING SAIDRACK MEANS, AND MEANS MOUNTING SAID WORM MEANS FOR ROTATIONAL AND AXIALMOVEMENT RELATIVE TO THE AXIS THEREOF, SAID MOUNTING MEANS FOR SAID WORMMEANS INCLUDING A WORM SHAFT, AND A BUSHING MOUNTED ON THE WORM SHAFTFOR AXIAL MOVEMENT THEREON, SAID WORM MEANS BEING MOUNTED ON SAIDBUSHING FOR AXIAL MOVEMENT THEREON, A SPACER MEMBER CARRIED ON SAIDBUSHING ADJACENT ONE END OF THE WORM MEANS AND FIXED AGAINST ROTATIONABOUT THE WORM AXIS, SPRING MEANS CARRIED ON SAID BUSHING FOR URGINGSAID WORM MEANS AND SAID SPACER MEMBER INTO CONTACT AT SAID ADJACENT ENDOF SAID WORM MEANS, AND ARRESTING MEANS CARRIED BY SAID HANDLE ANDARRANGED TO MOVE INTO CONTACT WITH SAID SPACER MEMBER TO ACTUATE THESAME INTO HOLDING CONTACT WITH SAID END OF SAID WORM MEANS WHEN THEHANDLE IS MOVED TO PLACE THE JAWS IN THE WORKING POSITION.